2018’s Video Games With The Prettiest Pixel Art

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Best Pixel Art of 2018

It’s another round of the COGconnected Game of the Year awards! This time we’re breaking down the best pixel art of 2018. There were a lot of major contenders this year. While it seems like every year is a great year for pixelated games, this was a most bountiful harvest of sprites, sounds, and superlative artwork.

The Messenger

First, let’s take a look at some of the finalists. We’ve got The Messenger, by Sabotage Studio. It’s Ninja Gaiden all over again! You like 8-bit graphics? 16-bit graphics? Action platformers? Metroidvania games? The Messenger has you covered.

Into The Breach

Into the Breach, from Subset Games boils down the vaunted turn-based strategy RPG to its most essential elements. Every move counts, every element is addictive and every character is an absolute delight to gaze upon.

Moonlighter

Moonlighter, courtesy of Digital Sun, is the story of every old-school RPG shopkeeper you’ve ever visited and immediately forgotten about. How do they get those fabulous items? What rich inner lives are they hiding behind their rough-woven aprons? Also, the whole thing looks terrific.

Children of Morta

Then there’s Children of Morta, from Dead Mage. There’s many stories being told here, and all of them are about family. Sometimes big narratives funnel into the simplest concepts, and that’s just fine. On top of that, every frame of this family saga is fantastic.

Iconoclasts

Iconoclasts, created by Joakim Sandberg, pulses with life. The NPCs, the enemies, the stages and the gear all rumble and hum with cool, vibrant energy. Also they look rad.

Minit

Next up is Minit, designed by Jan Willem Nijman, Kitty Calis, Jukio Kallio, and Dominik Johann. This is pixel art distilled down to its purest form. You want colors? Too bad! There’s none of that. The graphics are utter simplicity and the action is compressed to a tiny frame, but there’s real heart and power in this package. Sometimes simple is best, after all.

Deltarune

Don’t forget about Deltarune, the latest project from Toby Fox. You need to have played Undertale for any of this to make sense, but chances are you have. That game was a massive sleeper hit, and this one is absolutely more of the same. Toby’s ability to punch you in the gut with Mother-style graphics is at full power here.

But enough of this preamble, let’s get to the winners. There can only be one true victor after all.